Romania

Greetings

Men greeting Men – If it is a new acquaintance, men will most likely shake hands. If it is a friend, many will grasp hands and then hug. Some good friends and family may also kiss on both cheeks.

Women greeting Women – If it is a new acquaintance, they can shake hands, if one of them initiates by extending her hand. If it is a friend, they will kiss on both cheeks, and if a good friend, they may also hug.

Meetings between Men and Women – If it is a new acquaintance, and the woman is older, very often men will kiss her hand as a sign of respect. They can shake hands, but the woman must initiate by extending her hand first. If it is a friend, they will kiss on both cheeks, and if a good friend, they will also hug.

Note: Usually, young people say "buna ziua" to older men which means "good day" and to women "sarut mana" that means “I kiss your hand" but people say it in a hurry, so it sounds like "sarumana". People do not say “sarut mana" to men, only to priests. The youth greet with "salut", “servus" or even “hello" or "hallo".

Communication Style

• Romanians tend to be very polite and hospitable, so they will always take time to ask about one’s family and make other small talk before getting to the business at hand.
• They are generally direct about what they feel, but can be very indirect when talking about ideas and plans. There are many cultural reasons for this. To really understand, it is a good idea to ask questions and tactfully ask for more information, at least up to a point.

• Some people are direct and say exactly what they mean, and others take a more indirect path.

• If you are asking for directions most people will be happy to help you. But this depends from city to city, for example in Bucharest, people may not be as open to helping out.

Personal Space & Touch

• Romanians tend to be comfortable with less than arm’s length of personal space during conversations, probably about 12-18 inches.
• The closer the relationship between the people, the closer they might be physically.
• For a new acquaintance or business colleagues, there is generally no touching when speaking.
• The closer the relationship between people, the more touching goes on. Between friends, it is common for each to groom the other, fixing collars, removing lint, touching hair and putting arms around each other.
• Female friends link arms or hold hands when walking together in public and often touch. Male friends may also put arms around each other and touch a lot, especially when drinking.

Eye Contact

• Direct eye contact is preferred. Some people could say that you are not listening if you are not making an eye contact, and get upset.
• In a professional setting amongst colleagues, direct eye contact is acceptable and in most cases, expected.

Gestures

• One is expected to give up one's seat in public transport for the elderly or very young.
• In some homes shoes are removed indoors and people put on slippers, or “papoosh”, and visitors will be strongly encouraged to wear them as well.

• If you point to something, you point with one finger but if you want to be more subtle, you can just stretch your head, or move your eyes in the direction you want to point.

• When you beckon someone you move you whole hand toward yourself. in a downward motion.

• When you wave goodbye, you move your hand from left to right, or, you close your hand and open it, so that the outside part of the hand is toward you.

• Holding the door for the person following you, or even helping a person with overweight baggage is a sign of politeness, but it is not expected.

• In traffic, when you give someone right of way, it is polite to say thank you by nodding the head, or showing one hand.

• At school, when you want to answer, you raise your hand, and hold two fingers, just like the “ peace “ sign.

• For approving something, or saying "ok", you just raise your thumb.

• If you`re going to a store, always say hello and bye to the vendor, and thanks after you buy something.

Views of Time

• Traditional Romanian hospitality requires that much time is devoted to friendly conversation and taking time to visit, rather than adhering to set schedules or agendas.
• In more modern business settings, people are beginning to be prompt and pay attention to the time.
• There is no point in getting upset if people are a little late, or very late, and “immediate” can sometimes mean a long wait.
• Trains frequently run late. The rails are gradually being upgraded, but often they do not allow for speedy transit.
• Depending on the city, buses may have schedules, but in most towns the bus runs are more sporadic and people learn to be patient.
• Most people are not in too much of a hurry except when they are driving.

• You might hear the word "immediate" that means "I'm coming right away" but you may want to ask where the person is, to be sure they are really on their way. Usually they say "immediate" when they are still at home.

• There are also some institutions where punctuality is expected, for example schools, not all of them but most.

• Romanians, although late almost all the time, tend not to be patient and usually don`t like to wait.

Gender Roles

• Women are becoming westernized rapidly, especially the younger women.
• Men are still dominant in business, government and politics, but women are moving into roles as CEOs, along with the usual careers as professors and doctors.
• In the rural areas, roles are more traditional but women don’t seem afraid to speak up and have strong opinions.
• There is still a tendency by the “good old boys” to treat women as second class, but that is changing.
• Cafes and snack bars where people drink are almost all male.

• You can find women everywhere, even in cafés and bars or in places where usually only men are hired. Nowadays, some women do physical labor that only men used to be able to do and some of them are going to the army by choice.

Taboos

• Extending the pinky and index finger while bending the thumb, middle and ring finger (the vertical horns) usually means one’s wife is cheating on them. It can also be used for "rock" from "rock n roll".

• If you are offered food or a drink in a social situation, it's best not to refuse as the person will most likely be very offended if you do so. This depends from person to person.

• Putting your thumb in between your middle and index finger while making a fist is not an obscene gesture, but not a pleasant one ether. It means "ciuciu" something like “ you are not going to see this ever". For example if you give something to someone, and you don`t think are going to get it back, you say "I`ll receive ciuciu" and you show the sign.

• Romanian people believe in superstitions, like walking barefoot brings bad luck. There are so many superstitions, no one could ever know them all and they are different depending on what part of the country you are in. Some of the main superstitions, that everybody knows are:

• If a black cat crosses your way, bring bad luck

• If you take the garbage out at night, means you take the money out of the house.

• If a woman leaves her purse on the floor, means she will be poor.

• If you whistle at night, you bring damage and bad luck.

• If you break a mirror, you`ll have 7 years of bad luck.

• The cat always sleeps in the room where a bad energy is.

• When a woman sits on the ground it she might get sick, and if it is serious, she might not have any children.

Law & Order

• Penalties for possession, acquisition, and trafficking of drugs are severe and include fines and/or mandatory lengthy imprisonment in local jails.

• The legal drinking and smoking age is 18, and they are not enforced. You can easily buy alcohol and cigarettes at younger ages.

• Smoking is totally accepted by people, but every pub needs to have a smoking and a non-smoking area and you are not allowed to smoke in trains, buses, etc. There will be soon a law that says you are not allowed to smoke on the streets, and not even in any pub.

• There is one law that says you are not allowed to drink in public which means parks or streets. If you do that and you get caught there is a pretty big chance to get a fine.

• Drinking & driving is a serious offense and heavily enforced.

Dress

• For Men- Dark suit, white shirt, and a tie with polished shoes.
• For Women- Elegant style is common. Business suits, usually with a skirt and preferably with high heels.

Titles & Business Cards

• Mr. and Mrs.are common title. Mr. means “domn" and Mrs. means “doamna". Some people combine title them like Mr. Doctor (domnul doctor ) or Mrs. Lawyer.

• Business cards are usually presented with one hand and holding it between two fingers, like a cigarette.

Meetings

• Meetings are generally taken seriously and it’s best to be on time.
• It is common to greet the highest ranking person first.
• Some small talk is usually expected. It's best to allow the host to dictate the business discussion.
• The main purposes of initial meetings are to get to know one another and discuss, not to always make decisions. It's best to go with the flow and not impose your agenda too forcefully.

Negotiations

• Romanians tend to take time when negotiating and expect some give and take in the bargaining sessions. It's best not not rush them or appear impatient. Expect a great deal of time to be spent reviewing details before a final decision is made.
• Decisions are generally made from the top down and once a decision is made and terms are agreed upon, making any further changes can prove difficult.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are not generally exchanged at initial business meetings.
• If invited over for dinner or a drink to a Romanian home, you should always bring a gift. Either a bottle of high quality imported wine, liquor, flowers or a dessert/candy is acceptable.
• Always give flowers in odd numbers as even ones are usually given at funerals.
• Gifts tend to be opened when received.

Other Observations

• Cars are frequently parked on the sidewalks, because the streets are too narrow and were not designed for parking.

• Cigarettes are cheap compared to other countries.